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Overview

Can the truth really set one free? In Miriam Polli's debut novel, IN A VERTIGO OF SILENCE, Emily, the young protagonist, discovers a family secret and thinks, I know now that secrets run in the blood and bones of those who came before. This intensely moving, multi-generational novel follows the lives of women, both strong and frail-shrouded, at times warped, by the confines of a long-held secret. Polli has drawn characters with empathy and poignancy as Emily strives to change the destiny of her family.

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Product Details

About the Author

Miriam Polli is a native New Yorker who now lives between Key West, Virginia and Greece. Her short stories and poetry have been published in various commercial and literary journals. This is her first published novel. Miriam lives with her husband Jim Katsikis, who loves to grow things and is now a winemaker.

Editorial Reviews

★ 2015-03-17Following three generations of women, Polli's debut traces an intricate web of family secrets as they are created, buried, and discovered.It's 1950, and Emily lives with her mentally unstable, alcoholic mother, Anna, and her Polish grandmother, Marishka. Emily's father died when she was a baby, and she misses him desperately. After exploring Emily's life, the novel flashes back in time to 1920, when newly arrived Polish immigrant Marishka was the young wife of a Polish coal miner in rural Pennsylvania. As she worries about her husband's dangerous job and cares for her two daughters, Paulina and Anna, Marishka's worst fears are realized when her husband is killed in the mines just before their third daughter, Eva, is born. The novel then returns to Emily before focusing on an older Paulina; the narrative alternates between them as Emily grows up wondering why her family is the way it is and Paulina realizes she has fallen in love with Anna's husband just as baby Emily is born. Polli neatly dovetails the timelines, focusing on the parallel lives and pulling readers deeper into each woman's life. Strand by strand, she reveals just a little more about each character, delicately intertwining the various threads of their existences in a way that subtly shows the complex emotional ties that exist between family members. The story grows honestly and organically, to borrow a phrase of Emily's, and her emotional exploration feels cathartic without becoming cliché. When Marishka dies and Emily finally discovers the existence of her aunt Paulina—and the reasons why the family decided to disown Paulina and Emily's own father—she reaches a turning point and decides to finally figure out who she wants to be and what her family means to her now that all the secrets have unfurled.A quiet yet powerful saga of imperfection and the struggle for family connection.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

I was drawn into this family, who was torn apart by many different issues. Their stories intrigued me, their determination and commitment to the cause, their motivation to continue. They were brought together by circumstances, for their family was no different than any other in those times. Year passed, the chapters filled with hopes, dreams and lessons learned. Marishka (grandmother) was the center of the family. She knew it all, the lies, the affairs and the suspicions for they never made their way past her; she somehow had a way of knowing. It like looking back and seeing a family&rsquo;s life laid out before you, their paths and how they crossed, so detailed and so vivid. The book is wonderfully done, the author wrote and chose the words so carefully.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Serving House Books in exchange for an honest review.

DiiMI

More than 1 year ago

Filled with atmosphere and emotion, Miriam Polli&rsquo;s In a Vertigo of Silence tells a tale of the women of an immigrant family, generation by generation, from first coming to America to becoming &ldquo;Americanized&rdquo; years later. Powerfully written, in the voices of each generation, it all seems to come back to a young girl, Emily, who has uncovered secrets in the closet of the family she loves. From poverty to illness, to self-serving tendencies, each women is, in her own unique way a huge piece of this multi-generational puzzle.
Young girls question life, face the lies and cover-ups that rob their youth, the loss of a parent, the love of a grandmother, and the mystery of relatives they will never know. Through it all, love and loyalty shine through, along with strength and the poise to carry on, no matter what.
Miriam Polli has treated her novel with the care of an artist with a fresh canvas, about to create their finest work ever. Filled with prose that will resonate within your heart and soul, if you are looking for a quiet read that promises to engulf you gently, this could be it. Do not expect bright sunny days, hearts and flowers, but expect a stark look at the reality that shapes us all where what one becomes is part of the history of family.

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